Barq
Barq is the capital and largest city of the Tourr Imperium, as well as its industrial and economic center. A vast city of over 3 billion people, with an economic output of 870 trillion Zaal, the urban metropolis contains the majority of fusion energy infrastructure on Tourr, as well as most of the planet's orbital transportation capacity. Manufacturing facilities producing superconductors, fusion energy components, spacecraft, and robotics are common, while a developed creative sector is responsible for the city's prominence in science, engineering, and technology. The Interplanetary Senate and the Imperial Palace are located here. =History= =Economy= Barq has an annual economic output of approximately 870 trillion Zaal, over 10% of the GDP of the entire Rasq system. A great amount of Imperial tribute flows here, adding up to about 7% of the urban GDP. Most of the fusion energy capacity on Tourr is located within Barq, particularly in the vast industrial heartland of the city. Drarhour Robotics Corporation operates a number of industrial facilities within the city, producing high-quality robots, as well as a variety of other industrial production. The city is the largest spacecraft and antimatter drive manufacturing center in Rasq. Superconductors are also produced here in great quantities. Along with industry, the city possesses a well-developed creative sector. Residents of Barq are generally the most productive scientists, inventors, and engineers in the system. Bradnou Drarhour was a citizen of the city. =Politics= =Sectors= Barq is divided into seven sectors, each of which a practical city of its own. Xouytr Sector Considered by many as the industrialized "space center" of the city. Most of the planetary orbital transportation infrastructure (especially space elevators) is located here. Additionally, most spacecraft in the Rasq system are manufactured in the Xouytr Sector. A variety of key technological components needed for space-based industry are produced within Xouytr. The sector extends for 4,312 square miles, possessing a population of 123 million (mostly specialized technicians and engineers). Zoityr Sector The location of much of Tourr's extensive energy infrastructure, including most of the nuclear fusion power facilities located on the world. Over 1.5 million power plants are here, with an average power generation capacity of 500 MW each; energy facilities are "stacked" into large structures, over two thousand feet in height, to ensure maximum utilization of area. Extending for 4,212 square miles, the sector also houses about 255 million residents, most of whom work as engineers, technicians, or inventors for the power systems. =Crime= Barq is home to an unimaginably complex and extensive network of organized crime. Local officials have often been accused and convicted of corruption, abetting or taking bribes from the powerful mobsters (or even being mobsters themselves). Extortion rings have threatened businesses and industrial operations, demanding massive payments of "protection money". Well-trained criminals have launched complex heists to steal valuable technology and minerals from the city's many factories, or even hack into computer networks to virtually thieve finances from banks. Contraband weapons and narcotics are commonly sold across the city through these networks. It is estimated that over 25 million people are members of these criminal circles. Along with organized crime, common criminals are extremely common. The city's police force has been overwhelmed in recent years, to the extent that Imperial troops often had to secure valuable assets. Within the broader cityscape, localized neighborhoods often attempt to boost local security within the sea of "anarchy"; this has attracted many residents to move into the safer "Archologies". Barq has an annual murder rate of 50/100,000. One homicide occurs nearly every 19 seconds; since 350 IE, over 12,000,000 residents have been murdered. However, many were members of crime gangs. In wealthy or secured neighborhoods, along with Archologies, the murder rate drops to virtually zero.